Thursday, July 30 is the scheduled launch date for the NASA 2020 Mission to Mars.
The Mars Rover Perseverance will be taking off for the Red Planet on that day — if everything goes as planned. You can watch the launch and the mission online by clicking here: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/launch/status/]
Your kids (and you perhaps) are likely to start asking the inevitable questions about this mission. There are of course great resources on the NASA web page, but we have some extra insights that were delivered by our friend, David Seidel from NASA/JPL, at our 2019 Convention. The Q&A below can help get you up to speed on this whole Mars thing, so you can more effectively #DiscoverTogether the why, what and how of the Mars Mission — along with your young space travel enthusiasts.
What is Mars and why does NASA want to go there?
This short video from our convention provides parents with general information about Mars and what NASA has learned from explorations so far.
What will happen with this Mission and why is the Rover called Perseverance?
This video explains the basic purpose of the Mission. It’s a good and quick summary that will provide you with a bit of background. Then check out this NASA news page for a more detailed explanation.
How can we learn more about Mars?
This short video will walk you quickly through all the kid-oriented resources available on the Mars 2020 website, so you can find just the right things for your kids based on their age and interests.
How will I know when Perseverance is actually taking off?
The countdown and real-time excitement are here: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
Didn’t NASA already go to Mars?
Yes, and this video describes the many human devices that are already there! They can tell us a lot of things about the Red Planet, even the weather each day.